LAS 330 •
Environ Hazards Lat Amer/Carib

The physical landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be formed and reshaped by natural processes that have acted over geologic time scales. When these processes threaten life and property they are called natural hazards. Recent documented worldwide increases in the human and economic toll associated to natural disasters are presumably related to population growth, socioeconomic factors, and climate change. This course will cover some of the types of natural disasters that occur throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the most natural hazard-prone areas on Earth.

LAS 330 •
Wtr Res: Latin Amer/Caribbean

Water is a vital asset in the natural resource arsenal of any country as abundant clean water is essential for ecosystem sustenance, agricultural and industrial production, sustainable fisheries, the generation of electricity, transportation, adequate sanitation, tourism, and to fulfill many other human needs. However, the distribution of an adequate and clean water supply is very variable in place and time as it not only depends on climatic conditions, geologic substrate, land cover, and topographic controls, but also on human uses and demands. The variability of landscapes, climatic regions, and anthropogenic activities found throughout Latin America and the Insular Caribbean provide an adequate platform to explore the complex issues related to water resource accessibility and protection in light of the undeniable challenges to be faced in the upcoming decades due to climate change. Some of the topics to be discussed during this course will include issues related to water abundance such as desertification, incidence of drought, deglaciation, and saline intrusions into groundwater resources resulting from sea level rise. The course will also cover topics associated to contamination of both fresh and ocean waters by agricultural practices, cattle ranching, mining, urban expansion, and deforestation. Special attention will be given to the proliferation of dams and their physical, ecological, and human impacts. Case studies from various countries will be studied through qualitative and quantitative approaches with particular emphasis on water governance and adaptation measures at the national and community levels

Topics include environmental assessment methods and techniques, the conservation movement, and climate and people.

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

Course number may be repeated for credit when the topics vary.

MEETS WITH LAS 330.

LAS 330 •
Environ Hazards Lat Amer/Carib

The physical landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean continues to be formed and reshaped by natural processes that have acted over geologic time scales. When these processes threaten life and property they are called natural hazards. Recent documented worldwide increases in the human and economic toll associated to natural disasters are presumably related to population growth, socioeconomic factors, and climate change. This course will cover some of the natural disasters that occur throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the most natural hazard-prone areas on Earth. Through readings and in class discussions students will learn about the physical phenomena that incites natural hazards, while also emerging with a comprehensive view of the temporal and geographical distribution of hazards throughout the region. The course will present humans as susceptible to hazards but also as capable of affecting the incidence and degree of damage through direct intervention of the landscape and through deficient land use planning strategies, socioeconomic inequality, and climate change. Students will also gain a well-informed perspective on risk evaluation, short-term emergency response challenges, and hazard mitigation strategies employed throughout the region.

Ramos-Scharrón CE, 2012. Effectiveness of an erosion control method in reducing sediment production rates from an unpaved road. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 67(2): 87-100. [Email cramos@irf.org for copy]

Ramos-Scharrón CE. 2009. The effects of land development on sediment loading rates into the coastal waters of the islands of Culebra and Vieques. Submitted to the Coastal Zone Management Program, PR Dept. of Natural and Environmental Resources. 94 p.

Ramos-Scharrón CE, MacDonald LH, 2007. Measurement and prediction of erosion rates from natural and anthropogenic sources of sediment in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Catena Special Issue-Soil water erosion on rural areas, 71: 250-266.